LAS VEGAS, Nev. - MGM Resorts International reported a surprise profit for its first quarter on the strength of room bookings and gambling tables on the Las Vegas Strip and continued profits in Macau. CEO Jim Murren called the results the best first quarter since the beginning of the recession five years ago, and shares rallied in morning trading. "This is the beginning of a new era for MGM," he said on a conference call with analysts.

U.S. casino mogul Sheldon Adelson was more assertive during a second day of testimony in a breach of contract case over business deals in China. Hong Kong businessman Richard Suen is suing Las Vegas Sands for $328 million he says he is owed for helping the company win a gambling license in the Chinese enclave of Macau. The company says it won the license on its own. Adelson, the company's CEO, sparred with Suen's attorney on Friday, prompting several reprimands from the judge.

By Cynthia Johnston LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - An explosion at a U.S. Army munitions depot in the western Nevada desert killed seven Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and injured seven more during a training exercise, U.S. military officials said on Tuesday.

The Philippines was set to open a $1.2 billion giant casino on Saturday in a high-stakes bid to join the world's elite gaming destinations. Solaire Manila Resorts is the first of four huge entertainment venues slated to rise on reclaimed land on Manila Bay that industry and government officials hope will draw millions of newly well-off Asian visitors. "What Solaire brings is an entertainment and gaming experience that doesn't exist in the Philippines today," its American chief operating officer Michael French told AFP in an interview earlier this week.